Santa Barbara Wine Travel Guide!

Ep 59 

Why do I love Santa Barbara wine country so much?

Aside from Walla Walla, which you know I love so much, Santa Barbara is my second favorite wine region in the US.

It’s not pretentious at all. It’s just a bunch of wine lovers making wine that they love that they then want to share with other people who love wine. 

Santa Barbara has lots of smaller amazing wineries, top notch restaurants and it’s next to the ocean so those views are ah-mazing!!

This is why I’m excited to share all about Santa Barbara wine country with you today.

We will dig into the travel logistics - how to get there, how to get around, where to stay, and what restaurants to visit. 

And of course, the best part, I’m sharing the wineries I visited and what I loved about each one!

Are you ready to discover the unparalleled charm of Santa Barbara wine country? If so, press play and listen in and I guarantee at the end of this episode you will be excited to plan your trip to Santa Barbara!

Resources:

• Free West Coast Wine Travel Guide - https://corkandfizz.myflodesk.com/lqfp4htxut

• Santa Barbara Wine Country Map - https://media.winefolly.com/USA-CA-SantaBarbara-Wine-Country-Map.jpg

• Ep 12 - Interview with Anna Clifford of Final Girl Wines

• Ep 39 - Walla Walla Travel Guide

Episode Highlights:

• Geography and climate of Santa Barbara Wine
• Sub-regions of Santa Barbara including Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon and Happy Canyon
• What makes Santa Barbara wine country so special
• How to get to Santa Barbara wine country
• How to get around Santa Barbara wine country
• Where to stay in Santa Barbara wine country
• When to visit Santa Barbara wine country
• Tatomer Winery
• Story of Soil Winery
• Final Girl Wines
• Beckmen Winery
• Presqu’ile Winery
• Demetria Estate
• Margerum Winery
• Brick Barn Winery
• Where to eat in Santa Barbara wine country
• How to plan your route in Santa Barbara wine country

Transcript

Speaker: 0:25

Hello, and welcome back to the podcast. If you are a regular listener, if you're new here, hi. So glad to have you. Today, we are gonna be talking about Santa Barbara wine country. Now I'm gonna do this from a, like, travel angle of this. So I traveled to so I visited Santa Barbara, I wanna say, last year in February, and I planned the whole trip myself. Obviously, I got advice from other folks, but I thought this would be really beneficial to kinda talk about the wineries we visited, some restaurants, where we stayed, kind of what I thought about the time that we visited, and just kinda give you a little bit of the rundown in case you wanna take a trip to Santa Barbara yourself. Now I say all this, I also have a full West Coast wine travel guide. It is a free guide that you can download. I'll put the link in the show notes. It includes information on traveling to Santa Barbara, Napa and Sonoma, Willamette Valley, Lake Chelan, and Walla Walla, all here on the West Coast of the US. So if you wanna check that out, go to the show notes and find the link to download that. Otherwise, let's get into Santa Barbara. Now before we talk about visiting Santa Barbara, I feel like it always helps to kind of, like, let's just station ourselves there. Let's just give ourselves a little little bit of the basics. Right? So Santa Barbara is a very unique wine region, and that is a long transverse valley. It is actually the longest transverse valley found on the Western Pacific Coast, anywhere between Alaska to South America. It is the longest one. And what transverse means, if you're not sure what that means, it means that the valley goes from east to west. Most commonly, you're gonna find valleys that go north to south, right, because they go along with the mountain ranges. The thing is, there are 2 mountainous regions or mountain ranges in Santa Barbara that run east to west, leaving us with the little sandwiched valley in the middle, which is Santa Barbara. One country. Santa Barbara, one country. There's also a city. Don't get those confused. So what this does is it creates really perfect climate conditions for world class cool climate wines. How do we get that cool weather? It comes from what is called the Coriolis effect. This is where cool winds from the west opening to the Pacific Ocean act as a funnel pushing breezes okay. Hold on. Let's say that one more time. This is due to the Coriolis effect. This is where cool winds from the western opening to the Pacific Ocean act as a funnel, pushing breezes and fog east through the valley. This causes it to be one of the coolest regions, the coolest grape growing regions in California. The average temperatures peak to around 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, that's about 20 to 27 degrees Celsius, and they drop to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, that's 10 degrees Celsius at night. So you can see a 20 to 30 degree temperature drop. There are a couple warm pockets as well, which allows this region to be quite diverse in the type of wine that it makes. Now in terms of subregions, again, I like to always be able to picture the region a little bit because if somebody just says Santa Barbara wine country, here's the thing. There are actually I think there are 4 AVAs in the Santa Barbara wine country, and they're also separate from the city of Santa Barbara. Okay? So keep in mind, there is the city of Santa Barbara, and you will find some urban tasting rooms there, but that is different than Santa Barbara Wine Country. Santa Barbara Wine Country is made up of 2 large, AVAs or 2 valleys. So in the north, you're gonna have a Santa Maria Valley, and then just below that, you're gonna have a Santa Ynez Valley. And then within San Ynez Valley, there are 3 more AVA. So I guess there are 5 of them. My bad. So within San Ynez, there is the Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, and Happy Canyon. I'm gonna put a link to a really great, just super simple map, from Wine Folly on Santa Barbara so you can picture this. But, again, Santa Maria Valley is towards the top of the Santa Barbara Wine Country, and then just below it is the Santa Ynez Valley, and then going west to east, there's Santa Rita Hills, there's Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, and Happy Canyon within the Santa Ynez Valley. So if we were gonna talk just a little bit about each of these regions, I think it helps to do a little little deep dive. Santa Maria Valley, that's our big one in the north. This is the region's first AVA. It was established in 1981. It has one of the longest growing seasons in California. Here, you're gonna find a lot of Chardonnay, a lot of Pinot Noir, but you will also find some Northern Rhone style Syrah, meaning it's gonna be higher acidity, more mineral, a little bit earthier, not quite as that, like, big fruit bomb that you see a lot of Syrah's, in in California being like. Now moving down to San Iones Valley, this is the largest AVA in the region. It is 77,000 acres planted over 60, that's 60s, 60 different varieties and spanning over 30 miles east to west. There are 2 townships in San County that are worth calling out. You have Solvang and Los Olivos. Solvang was actually founded by the Danish in 1911. And when you visit there and you go, you'll you'll know it's very obvious based off all the windmills and the half timbered buildings. It is super, super cute. We actually stayed when my husband and I went down to Santa Barbara. We stayed in Solvang. So we got to see. It's got lots of cute little shops. I highly recommend taking some time to just kinda, like, walk around downtown. Now in terms of Los Olivos, they are not too far from Solvang, and they have a very, like, porch culture, laid back, hang out with your neighbors, just sit around and chat like the old days, kind of vibe. So both of them are definitely worth visiting beyond just these wine regions that we're gonna talk about. Now in San Yanez right? So we're within the San Yanez Valley. Furthest west is going to be a region called Santa Rita Hills. I think this place makes the best Pinot Noir in all of California. Like, it is California's version of Burgundy. Then moving into the center, you have Ballard Canyon. I know less about this region, but, apparently, they're really great at making mouthwatering Syrah. So about 50% of the region is devoted to Syrah, and is the only AVA in the USA devoted to this grape. There's another 30% of plantings that go to other Rhone varieties, such as Grenache, Viognier, and Roussanne. Like I said, it's in the middle of the Santa Ynez Valley. It has a high diurnal shift even more than the average. So remember I said it was, like, 70 to 80 drops to 50. In Ballard Canyon, you can see a drop from 90 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. And, again, that Syrah that they make is very much more in that French style rather than, like, the big fruit bombs, that you can see from California. Finally, on the eastern edge of the Yesenia and as Valley, you have Happy Canyon. Happy Canyon is the warmest area in Santa Barbara wine country. The name of it is actually quite fun. It was named during prohibition by folks who would take a trip up Happy Canyon because they grew grapes and made wine. Probably, you know, they made wine for the churches, of course. That's what you did in prohibition. Right? They have low yields, really ripe, late ripening grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc here. So if you get a Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Barbara, it is very likely that it came from Happy Canyon. They also get things like, Syrah and Grenache. Grapes that require a lot of heat will be in this area. I've got had very good Passite Verdot, from Happy Canyon as well. Now why do I love Santa Barbara so much? Why you know, if I I've only done 2 of these types of episodes where I highlight a region and kinda talk about traveling there. The first one was Walla Walla, and we all know I'm obsessed with Walla Walla. Okay? So I won't bug you with it. But Santa Barbara, honestly, is like a close second to my favorite wine regions here in the US. One of the reasons it is not pretentious in the slightest. It is just a bunch of wine lovers making wine that they wanna share with other people who love wine. It is less expensive, both, like, in terms of, like, going yourself and and trying wine and buying wine, but also for the winemakers. They don't have to pay as much for the grapes there. And so this way, they get to have a little bit more variety. They get to experiment. They get to try things. And there are lots of smaller wineries because they can afford to do things on a small scale. They have amazing food here. So many of the restaurants are so so delicious. I mean, there's something about, like, a wine region can have great wine, but then if it doesn't have really good restaurants and food, you're like, I'd rather just buy the wine and stay home, you know? But here you're gonna wanna visit to have this food and then, oh my god, it's freaking beautiful here. Like, Walla Walla gives like, west, what do I wanna say? Like, out west kind of chill, cowboy kind of vibes, you know, and you've got the mountains in the background, which are beautiful. But Santa Barbara is close to the ocean. Like, come on. It's also California. So, like, even if you visit in February, which I'm gonna talk about in a little bit, that's when I visit it, it was still, like, sunny and beautiful. It was great. Okay. Let's go over a few little kind of travel basics and some of my tips. First, how do you get to Santa Barbara? So the most direct op the most direct option is to fly into the Santa Barbara Airport. This is SBA, or you can fly into the Santa Maria Airport, SMX. My tip is to fly into SBA. If you're coming from not the West Coast, you may have to do a layover, but I think it's worth it. It it gets you really close. And then you drive your rental car. So you get a rental car from SBA, and you drive that along the 101 into wine country. It is, oh, it's so gorgeous. I just I'm obsessed with, like, looking at the water. It's so pretty. Just a quick note here. You'll likely have to update your route when using navigation if you're driving from the airport to wherever you're going in wine country. The wine o one the wine oh, what? The 101 isn't always the fastest option, but it is the prettiest and it's worth it. You can also fly into LAX, but it's a 2 plus hour drive from there. You can also trick you can also take the train from LA, Orange County, or San Diego. Okay. Now you've gotten to Santa Barbara. How do you get around? You will definitely need a rental car or a driver to get around Santa Barbara wine country. It spans across multiple towns, including including Solvang, Los Olivos, San Ines, Los Alamos, and more. We actually rented a Tesla. It was not much more expensive than a gas car, which was really nice because the hotel we stayed at, and the one that I'm recommending, later had a Tesla charger. So we never had to pay for gas. It was it was kinda perfect. It was really, really nice. Highly recommend. And Uber is an option, so if you just wanna but the problem is that, like, even just getting from the airport to wherever you're going is a pretty long drive, so it's going to be expensive. So just keep that in mind. But some of the other regions I talk about, like Walla Walla, for example, doesn't have Uber really. There's not a of options, so at least this place does have, does have that. But I would recommend either hiring a driver ahead of time, there are a lot of tour guides around that area, or getting that rental car. Now where to stay? There are so many options. I'm just gonna highlight 2 of them. I've only actually personally stayed at 1, but this other one I did a lot of research and it seemed like it was coming back as a great option. And I think somebody else that I follow, I think Lexi's wine list, I think she stayed at the Ballard Inn, so I threw this on there as an option. But the place I stayed at was called Hotel Yanez. It is basically it's it's an old motel that they redid. And so it was a motel style, so you get to your room by just being outside communal, like, hang communal, like, hangout space with these big trees and fire pits and a bocce ball court, and it was just really, really nice. And they have free hot breakfast. They had these cute little they're still doing them. They're delicious. It was these cute little, like, quiches, little baby quiches. Oh, they were delicious. And they also have a Tesla charger. So highly recommend. They're super friendly. The rooms are comfortable, and it was just like a cool place. I remember one of the nights we were waiting to go out to dinner, and we were sitting out by the fire. They have blankets for the fire because they know it gets cool in the evening. We were sitting out there with a blanket, and another couple came out, and we started chatting with them, and they actually offered us a taste of their wine. It was a really unique wine. It wasn't from Santa Barbara, I think it was from Paso Robles, and it was a wine. I know I'm going off topic, but trust me, it's kinda cool. It was a wine that had been made in, like, a Solera style. Is that right? What they do with sherry? And, basically, what had happened was the winemaker kept adding wine to this barrel every year. So it had wine from 2,015, 15, and then she added wine from 2016 and 2017, and eventually kind of blended it all together to create this multi vintage blend. And it was so cool. It was, like, layered and complex and and really unique and interesting. I wish I could tell you the name of that winery, but just try to look up, like, Paso Robles, female winemaker, Solera style, wine, and see what happens. But anyway, we we got to try that just because we were like chilling with these people in the, in the communal fire pit area and just hanging out, and I feel like it's like it's a place where fellow wine lovers go, and you're likely to have some good connections, like that's not it. The hotel itself, Hotel Yunes was in Solvay in California, which, again, I recommend that area. It was a it was kind of like a good home base between a lot of different spots. Then there's also the Ballard Inn. This is in, you'll never believe it, Ballard, California in Santa Barbara. And this boutique hotel, it boasts recently renovated rooms. It's very beautiful, very luxurious. It's kind of like that next step up. If you want it to feel a little more romantic, a little bit more special, go to the Ballard Inn. Now, when should you visit? You know, I can't tell you a lot. I think you'd be better off asking somebody who actually lives closer to Santa Barbara, but what I'm gonna say is we visited in February. And sure, it was a little chillier, like, we definitely wore a jacket. I think I wore jeans or a long skirt most of the days, but we had sunshine all weekend. And, like, for those who are used to cooler weather, like us here in Seattle, it was not bad at all. It was way better than whatever Seattle was like in February. Plus, it was not busy. There were never any crowds, so I I thought it was a great time to visit. Otherwise, I will say April also sounds like a really great time to kind of better balance the nice weather and fewer crowds. The more you get into summertime, the more crowds you're gonna have and the hotter it's going to get. If you do wanna go when the grapes are being harvested, I'd aim for mid September, early October. It could still be warm, and it will definitely be busier. The wine the wineries and winemakers themselves will also be busy with harvest, but the vineyards will be gorgeous and the smell of winemaking will be in the air. I think mid September, go earlier if you wanna see the grapes on the vine. Go later if you wanna be somehow part of the wine making process and maybe get in on trying, like, a barrel sample, or getting to, like, stomp the grapes or something like that. Alright. Now for my favorite part of the podcast, we're gonna talk about some of my favorite spots. And these, again, these are just like small little handfuls of wineries. I'm sure there are so many more amazing wineries here. These are just the ones that I personally visited and absolutely loved. So I I wanna make sure I can, like, recommend ones that I've actually had a chance to to visit and taste. So, they're in no particular order here. I'm gonna tell you later on some of my tips for how to kinda plan your day so that you're not driving all around everywhere and spending half your time in the car. But first, let's just talk about the wineries. Starting off with Totomer. This spot, it is hard to find. Their tasting room, it's in in, like, a warehouse setting. It's actually where they make the wine. But trust me, it's worth the effort. You might just have to call them and be like, yo. I feel like I'm in the wrong parking lot. Please help. And they will help. They helped us. Here at Tomer, they make amazing Gruner, Beltliner, Riesling, and Pinot Noir, and, of course, Rose of Pinot Noir. If you go on February, they might actually be working on making the blend for, the Rose. We actually got to taste 2 different versions and give our opinions on which one we like the most. That was pretty cool. The winemaker here at Tetomer, spent some time in Austria, hence the love for Gruner Veltliner. He also says that, you know, the sights that excite him the most are the cooler ones, which is why he landed in Santa Barbara. He really likes the lighter weight, nuanced flavors, bracing acidity, and to him, riesling is the ultimate grape to pursue those types of characteristics. He thinks no other grape conveys its Regent's character and the varietal flare and the varietal flavor quite like riesling. So he actually started Totomer making riesling, then brought in his love for Gruner Weltliner from the time in Austria, and then, of course, Santa Barbara makes great Pinot Noir. How could he not do that? The tasting experience itself, really informative. We didn't taste with the winemaker, but we tasted with, he was either the assistant winemaker or, like, he was, like, lead, in the tasting room and, like, he knew his stuff. When we asked questions about it, he was answering for us, and then like I said, we happened to be there when the winemaker was testing out some roses, and so we got to taste those, which was kind of cool. It's very specialized, very intimate, and we actually became wine club members after our tasting, and it was the, the very first spot we visited. And I say that because, like, you'd think we'd be, like, very cautious of joining right away because we're like, oh, you're gonna you're gonna join too many if you do this. It was so good we couldn't say no. And, I think we also ended up getting, like, an older bottle of Riesling because they had a few of them, laying around, and they're like, hey. We're, like, giving these out for, like it's, like, only, like, $35, like, the cost of, like, a regular one, and it's, like, a 12 year old riesling. And I'm like, yes, please. We'll we'll take that. Okay. Moving on to another spot. Let's talk about story of soil. The winemaker here, Jessica Gasca, knows what she is doing. This is a very small winery, but they make excellent pinot noir, among other things as well. But, oh, I remember the x the I remember the pinot noir. It was just it was stupid good. We, we'd actually booked a private winery tasting and tour, for our trip, but they got their dates mixed up, And the day we were visiting was their big member's release party. So they invited us to that. We ended up getting to taste all of their new releases, and we were very, very impressed. So I definitely love to go back and talk to Jessica more and get to learn about her style and how she makes things. But it was pretty cool to get to try all of the wines without actually having to be a member. Next up is Final Girl Wine. So this winery, I've actually had the winemaker here on the podcast, Anna, before. They actually borrow space from Story of Soil and store a lot of their stuff there. They don't actually have a tasting room yet. So if you want to taste with them, reach out to them via email or Instagram to schedule a tasting. They basically just like brought some of their wine in a cooler, and we sat out on the picnic tables out by Story of Soil, which was kinda fun. Like I said, husband and wife team, we've talked to Anne on the podcast before. Go back and listen to that podcast to learn more. I love all their wines. We are a wine club member with Final Girl, but I especially appreciate the Chenin Blanc and the orange wines, plus all their fun sparkling wines. Next up, let's talk about Beckman. Beckman, it's b e c k m e n. I was actually invited to go here by the owners of a wine club that we used to be a part of. I still highly recommend it. It's kinda one of those things where we just kind of cycle through. I say we, my partner and I, we cycle through wine clubs because you always wanna be a part of them, but you can't be a part of too many because then you end up with so much wine. So my thing is we just kind of cycle through and and we'll leave one and try another one, and then we might come back to it later. But it's nothing nothing against the the club itself. We usually love the wine. We just always like to try new things. So, anyway, this wine club, it's called Revisit Wine Co. I highly recommend checking it out if you wanna learn more about Santa Barbara. They're actually ones that got me into Santa Barbara wine because they highlight small producers across Santa Barbara. And it made me realize, like, how good California wine could really be. I mean, I'd I'd had a little bit of a thing against it because of the expensive, like, Napa Cabernets and stuff like that, but then I started trying this. I'm like, cool. Well, that's good. So, anyway, we are wine club members, with them and so they invited us to Beckman where they are a wine club member. So we got a free tasting, but it was it was really lovely to visit. It was beautiful views. Again, it's just like you're gonna hear me say it a lot, but that's the thing. I could just go there to see the views and drink the wine. They also told us the story, here at Beckman of how they turned one of their failing vineyards. They had this one vineyard that never produced good grapes, and they just couldn't figure out what it was, and they were ready to just do away with it and have to go somewhere else, which was gonna cost a lot of money. And they're like, you know what? Let's just try this thing. I've I've read this thing about biodynamics. Let's grow grow the grapevine biodynamically. And it was just like a a 180. Like, it completely turned it around, and they had absolutely amazing fruits. So they are now dedicated to farming all of their vineyards biodynamically, not because it's a trend, but because they have seen the results and the power of farming biodynamically. Okay. Moving on. I think I have 4 more wineries to talk about. Next one is called Presquile. I think I'm saying that right. It is presquapostropheile. Maybe it's Presquile? That sounds funny too. Here, this is one of those that, like, you feel like royalty walking into the tasting room because it is so beautiful. It's gorgeous. It's got views overlooking the hills and mountains, these big windows. I recommend when we went, we did what was called the picnic experience. I think they now just call it the wine and food experience. It is a little costly. I think when I last looked it up, it was, like, $70 a person, but it is so worth it. And it's a meal. Don't worry. You do not need to plan, like, to have a meal, after this. It's where the chef brings in fresh and seasonal flavors into these dishes, and they pair with your tasting in in such a beautiful way. It was, and it's, like, kind of, like, I think 6 or 7 different little dishes, that you get to try. And I think you can do it with 2 to 6 people, but it was super fun. I I highly recommend. Next up, another one which was beautiful, Demetria Estate. So this is d e m e t r I a. Maybe it's Demetria Estate. And holy crap. Like, my jaw dropped when we drove in through the gates of this estate. Like, it feels like you are rented the Tesla. We wouldn't make it on the dirt roads, but we're good. We were good. It was worth it. The wine was delicious, but I 100% recommend going to this winery, Dimitri Estates, yearly for the ambiance alone. Like, if you want beautiful photos or you wanna feel like you're truly in a vineyard away from everyone in the rest of the world, go here. Couldn't recommend enough. Okay. Last 2. Let's talk about Marjoram. This is a winery. They got a really talented, friendly winemaker. His name Doug his name is Doug Marjum. He's been involved in the Santa Barbara food and wine scene for over 35 years. Funny enough, it must have been, like, wine release club weekend because we'd also signed up for an experience at Marjum, and then they said, hey, we're also having a party that day. Feel free to come early and come taste some of the wine. So we did. Of course, we did. We got to try some of their aged wines, some new ones that are coming out. And then while we were kinda chilling waiting for our experience to start, we started talking to this guy that was in this area. He seemed like he was just, like, somebody that worked at the winery. Turns out it was Doug Marjoram, and, we didn't even know it. So super friendly, easy to talk to guy. We actually did their white Rhone blending experience, and this is where we got to blend our own white wine from lots of different Rhone style varieties. They had actually called us to confirm that we meant white and not red because this was the first one they'd ever done as the white blending experience. Everybody always shows the red. Looking on the website, I can't find this blending experience, but you know what? You might as well just ask if you're planning to go to Santa Barbara. Just just see if they do it. They might still do it. They just don't put it on the website. Also, I could have sworn there was a connection between their core blends. So at Marjoram, their blends, they call them M5. I could have sworn that, like, Maroon 5, there was a connection there. Like, Maroon 5 had them at their wedding or had them at something special. I can't find it online, so you're you're gonna have to ask about that while you're there tasting. Okay. Last winery I'm gonna recommend is called Brick Barn. This was a larger winery. Lots of options for different styles of wine. It's kinda one of those if you have, like, large group and you wanna have a table big enough for everybody, you wanna have a lot of different options, go to Brick Barn. The winery is right by some vineyards and views in the mountains. Again, beautiful. I know you're, like, me saying it. They often have live music, and they also have a really good sparkling wine. Alright. Super quick here. Let's talk food and restaurants. So like I said, great, great food. I'm gonna highlight all the places that we went to. And I think I have 1 or 2 on here that we weren't able to make it to, but I still I still recommend. So first up, Roblar Winery and Vineyard. Now, technically, it's the winery, but I highly recommend visiting for brunch. We went there on the day that we were flying out. Oh my goodness. Like, it was so delicious. It's gonna be kind of American food, probably, like, mid priced. Then you have Barlacote. This is in Los Olivos, and this is seafood. And they have a seafood tower on the menu that you can customize with whatever you want to put in the seafood tower. Like, need I say more? It was it was a special experience. It's definitely higher price. I'm gonna put this at the higher price of all the restaurants that we're talking about, but so so worth it. So good. That one's Barlacote. Then we have s y kitchen. That's like the letters s and the letter y kitchen. This is in Sanienes. It is Italian food, and, honestly, it had, like, the most romantic vibes, great Italian food, lots of variety as well, and it's both family friendly and, like, a good place to go as a date. So highly recommend that spot. There's also Industrial Eats in Beaulton. This is a must stop lunch or dinner. I think we stopped for lunch. I will warn you to expect a wait.

I think we went even late for lunch. Like, it was 1: 28:46

30 or 2, and it was still, like, packed. I think we waited about an hour for our food. So it's it's and there's, like, not a ton of like, there's a lot of seating, but it's really busy. But it was it was really delicious. Like, I had it starred on my on my agenda, so, like, I know I liked it. Another spot, a good spot for breakfast, because listen, you always gotta have a good breakfast when you're gonna go out wine tasting. It's called Bob Swell Bread. It might be Bob's Swell Bread. Either way, just look it up Bob Swell Bread. You'll find it. They have a spot in Los Alamos, Los Alamos, and Ballard. They highly came highly recommended. I think I ended up doing something different, but one of the girls I talked to with recommendations for this area said you have to try the egg in a jar, and also to go early because it will also get very busy. One place we didn't go to, but came highly recommended is called the hitching post. This is your dinner if you want to try Santa Maria style barbecue, and it's in Bealton. Okay. Last little thing I'm gonna talk about before we end this podcast. When you are planning your trip, here is my top tip. I think I talk about this in my tips for planning wine travel, but, especially, for Santa Barbara. What I want you to do is I wanna make want you to make a list of all the places that you wanna go to, and then I want you to put those on a map. And one of the best ways to do this is use Google Maps. Put these when you look up each of the places, save them and make a custom list. You can make a you can make a list on Google. You just go into the save. It's like a little, it looks like the save button on Instagram. Looks like a little bookmark almost. You hit that button, and then it gives you an option to just save it to, like, a regular list, like favorites, or you make a new one. You call it Santa Barbara. You save all the places that you wanna go to. You also save your hotel so you can say where that is. Then, you open up that list and you can see where everything is. And you can create your itinerary based on where places are and how to drive between them. Normally, I would say all you need to do is just look at the map and see that. Santa Barbara in particular, I would also check navigation because the thing is some places might seem close together, but but the roads are a limiting factor, and you might have to, like, travel back a little ways and get back on one of the main highways to then go down another dirt road even though it looks like the 2 wineries are right next to each other. So, for example, I'm gonna share with you what my itinerary was on the the first day that we were in Santa Barbara. So like I said, we stayed at Hotel Yunes, which is in Solvang. So we started with breakfast at Bob's Well Bread in

Ballard. That was at 8: 31:31

45 AM, and I had a note to

leave at 9: 31:34

45 AM because the first winery that we're going to was probably the longest drive from Solvang, but I really wanted to go. It's called Totomer Wine. That was the very first one that I talked about. I had booked a 60 minute cellar tasting with them. And the thing was, it was a long drive, but there was another winery up there that I could try pretty close by. So what we could do is we went up to Totomer, did the tasting, and then we traveled. It was only, like, I think, a 10 minute drive from Totomer to Presquile. And so we did the winery picnic there. It was right around lunchtime, so it worked out really well. Then we drove back to Solvang. We hung out at the hotel. I think we explored downtown a little bit, kinda left ourselves some free time. Then in the afternoon, we stuck close to the hotel. So we did, the Beckman tasting with our friends Mary from revisit Wine Co, And that was really close by. I think it was like a 10 minute drive of that. And then we did dinner at SY Kitchen, which again was under a 10 minute drive from both the winery and our hotel. So the way we did that, like, on our first day, we said, okay, we're gonna do the big drive up in the morning, go to 2 wineries in that area, then come back down to our area where we were staying at the hotel and kinda stick around there. That way, you know, imagine if we had done to Tomer and Paskill, but on 2 different days. We would've had to done that same drive 2 days in a row. Like, that would not have been fun. So, like I said, look at them on a map. If you want help with planning this trip, send me a message. This is a new service that I'm going to start providing because I've had the experience doing it. And you don't have to go to the same wineries that I went to. I will help you find ones that fit for you, but I'll use my expertise and my experience in building these trips so that I'll put together an an I'll put together an entire itinerary for you, and you just have to follow it, and even help you make all the reservations and everything you need. So just send me a message, on Instagram at corkandfizz or send me an email, haley@corkandfizz, if you are interested in that. I can do it for any area that I've visited before. I could also try it for areas that I haven't visited, but it won't be as as good since I don't have the experience. Okay. I think that's enough talking for today, isn't it? I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. I also wanna give a quick shout out, to Heather at Craft and Cluster. She is one who shared so many recommendations with me when I was heading to Santa Barbara, and I'm sure many of them showed up in this podcast. So I wanna give her a shout out. She does photography and media for wineries in the Santa Barbara area, so go give her a follow. If you love this episode as much as I did, so appreciate it. Just take a quick second, rate it, leave a review. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. I release new episodes every Wednesday. In next week's episode, I'll be sharing all my top tips for hosting your own wine tasting party at home. Thanks again for listening. And don't forget, if you like to taste wine live with me and belong to a community of amazing fellow wine lovers, come join my corkcrew. Head to corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass to come check out a tasting for free. Cheers.